Pushin’ Water Kayak Charters your go to Kayak Fishing Guide Service

Pushin’ Water Kayak Charters was founded in 2010 on the Treasure Coast of Florida. In the beginning
our kayak fishing guide service was a one man show focusing on the inshore flats and beaches of places
like Stuart, Jensen Beach and Fort Peirce Florida. Over the years our offerings have grown to include
offshore kayak fishing as well as freshwater kayak fishing for peacock bass and other exotics.

Kayak fishing guide Brian Nelli has been kayak fishing the inshore and offshore waters of South Florida
since 2006. Time on the water over the last 11 years has provided Brian with a wealth of knowledge on
the kayak fishing in South Florida. Since 2009 Brian has been competing in kayak fishing tournaments all
over the world and currently he sits at the top of the all-time win list of the Extreme Kayak Fishing
Tournament series with three.

We could go on and on about our kayak fishing guide Brian’s accomplishments and history, but the true
accomplishment is how Pushin’ Water Kayak Charters translates the years of experience into providing
the client an amazing a kayak fishing trip they won’t soon forget. From learning how to catch a snook to
landing your first sailfish, we can help you catch the fish of your dreams. Below is a breakdown of the
areas and species our kayak fishing guides cover.

Stuart

Jupiter

Palm Beach

Delray Beach

Pompano Beach

September 4, 2017 Brian 0

Kayak Fishing in Florida

Kayak Fishing in Florida provides many great opportunities. We are lucky enough at Pushin’ Water Kayak Charters to be located in the southeast coast of South Florida. From inshore and offshore saltwater to inland freshwater kayak fishing we got it all. Here are some of the best areas to fish in South Florida throughout the year.

Martin County

Stuart

It is called the sailfish capital of the world, but for us kayak fisherman it is more known for its nearshore and inshore fishery due to Stuart’s proximity to deep water. There is a wide range of species that can be caught in this area depending on the time of year. Let’s look at your best bets by season.

Spring – Large Seatrout are my favorite to target this time of year. The spring is their breeding time and they are plump and hungry. Mangrove lines, channel edges and docks will hold a few of these pigs. Offshore kayak fishing the shallow water wrecks will yield Cobia and Permit. These two are always on my mind during this time.
Summer – marks breeding season for Snook. Look for these big girls to stack in the inlets and bridges near them. Live bait is always best, but trying jigs and other bottom bouncing lures work as well.
Fall – will bring on the mullet bait run. Fishing the beaches for Tarpon is a blast when these big bait balls start to come through.
Winter – kayak fishing in Stuart is all about pompano and Spanish Mackerel. I enjoy fishing for pompano in the Indian River Lagoon instead of off the beach. Fishing the flats near the inlet is a sure bet to catch a few. Finally, the Spanish Mackerel stack up just off the beaches for their spawning session. These fish can be caught cast after cast and are a blast on light tackle.

Palm Beach County

Jupiter

Has one of the most beautiful inlets on the east coast of Florida ad is topped off by the Historic Jupiter lighthouse. The scenery is spectacular, but the fishing is even better. Let’s get into your best bets.

Spring – west of the inlet and closer to the mouth of the Loxahatchee River can produce some really good Tripletail fishing during this time. Channel markers and crab pot buoys will hold these guys looking to pick off a live shrimp or baitfish.
Summer – Jupiter is the capital of inlet Snook fishing. The big breeders stack in this inlet to feed and find a mate. Live bait on incoming tides fished near the bottom will put a few in the kayak.
Fall – This area is also hit hard with a mullet bait run. Big Jacks, Sharks, Tarpon and Snook will all be focused on the large schools that come down the coast.
Winter – Spanish Macks, Pompano and Bluefish are a lot of fun kayak fishing just off the beach. Light tackle and small bucktail jigs will give you a chance to bring a few fish home.

Palm Beach

Singer Island provides great beaches and resorts all right next to the Palm Beach Inlet. There are many kayaking activities in this area. Snorkeling Peanut Island is a favorite of mine. Many species of reef fish inhabit the islands snorkeling rock piles. Here are your best bets for kayak fishing Palm Beach.

Spring – Mahi will start to make their way into offshore kayak fishing range. Tolling your normal live bait like google eyes and blue runners will entice these guys to bite.
Summer – Palm Beach Inlet is another great place to target the breeder Snook. Fishing lures like a DOA Terror Eyz and live bait near the bottom will work great.
Fall – My favorite thing to do during the fall is bottom fish offshore for mutton snapper and yellow tail snapper. The reason being is that there is so much finger mullet bait around. These baits are like candy for any snapper.
Winter – Barracudas and Sharks will keep the rods bent during the colder months. Fishing around Peanut Island is a great place to start looking for fish.

Delray Beach

Just south of the Boynton Beach Inlet sits Delray Beach. The coastal city is known for its upscale shopping and fine restaurants, but we are here to talk about kayak fishing! Let’s check out the best bets.

Spring – If the weather cooperates this is also a great area to kayak fish offshore for big mahi. I like using mullet if they are around, but any live bait or even dead will work.
Summer – kayak fishing the beach will put you in line for Snook and big Tarpon. I like to slow troll with live bait and have another rod ready with a lure to throw at any rolling fish.
Fall – is always going to focus around the mullet run. Fishing the beaches and anywhere close to Boynton Beach inlet will get you a chance at the many species feeding on the mullet. This is also a great time to head inland for Peacock Bass. Kayak fishing Delray Beach in the Lake Ida area can produce days of 50 plus fish.
Winter – This time of year can also be amazing Peacock Bass Fishing, but all depends on how cold it gets. If we don’t have any long periods of temperatures in the low 40’s or lower the bite should be going off.

Broward County

Pompano Beach

This area is an offshore kayak fishing heaven with its many artificial reefs just off the coast. The Pompano Beach Pier is located just south of Hillsboro inlet and is where the largest offshore kayak fishing tournament takes place every year. Let’s look at the best kayak fishing options.

Spring – Blackfin Tuna is a sure bet just off the coast of Pompano Beach. Vertical Jigging and Live bait work well this time of year. The larger fish are usually around in May.
Summer – Offshore kayak fishing is a home run for the Summer months. Snapper, kingfish, sailfish, tuna and wahoo are all available when you kayak fish this part of Florida.
Fall – Mullet, mullet, mullet once again. Kayak fish the inlet, the beach and anywhere you find the bait; the big fish won’t be far behind. Try using baits like a DOA baitbuster and other mullet like imitations.
Winter – Kingfish make their way south to Key West for the winter months. Try to kayak fish offshore for them come November and December to pick them off before they get down south.

August 1, 2017 Brian 0

Offshore Kayak Fishing – Big Fish Small Boat

We provide many different fishing trips to cater to anglers wants and needs, but the most requested fishing trip is an offshore kayak fishing adventure. The thought of catching a big fish from a small boat sparks curiosity in people’s minds on how to do it. Pushin’ Water is lucky to be based in an area on the southern coast of Florida where accessing deep water is within a mile from shore. We are also lucky enough to have a full fleet of Hobie Outback Kayaks. These kayaks use the method of pedaling instead of paddling. Having the ability to use your legs to propel yourself leaves your hands free to fish and have a much more enjoyable day on the water.

Kayak fishing South Florida at our Delray Beach launch location is the closest spot to deep water on the whole East Coast of the United States. It roughly takes 15-20 minutes of pedaling from beach to 90 feet of water. Once we hit 90 feet, baits hit the water and the likelihood of hooking into that big fish has just sky rocketed. Offshore kayak fishing for Mahi, Kingfish, Tuna, Sailfish, Wahoo and Cobia are all available within a 20 minute pedal from shore! Kayak fishing South Florida can make you a Florida sportsman within minutes.

Fishing Review

Here is a fishing review from John C. who had a great time with us and became a true Florida Sportsman by kayak fishing South Florida!

“Brian put us on an all time epic sailfish bite yesterday. We started out early from Boynton Inlet and it was only a short paddle out to the fishing grounds. Within half an hour we tripled up on sailfish! It was mayhem for thirty seconds before one broke off and the other two went in opposite directions and dragged us all over. We doubled up again 45 minutes later, hooked a dolphin for dinner 30 minutes after that and less than 2 minutes after the dolphin was in the boat hooked into our 6th sailfish. This was easily the most fun we’ve ever had on a fishing trip. It was amazing action which was that much more fun because we were doing it in 12ft boats. I can’t recommend this enough.” – John C.

July 10, 2017 Brian 0

Kayak Fishing: The Start for Pushin’ Water

I can still remember the first day I went deep blue fishing in the Atlantic Ocean with my Hobie Quest. Rolling over the gentle waves of a northeast swell was a strange feeling for an inshore fisherman. As I paddled out to the depths and the sun rose over the horizon, I officially began a new chapter in my kayak fish career.

Kayak Fishing in 2011

After a year of learning artificial lure tactics, I wanted something more. I needed a sailfish. At the time, sailfish were not really being caught from a kayak and it was a big deal to catch one in the state of Florida. Also at the time, using live bait in the kayak was not a technique I felt comfortable with. So, I set out multiple times with dead sardines and had no luck. Months went by and still had yet to get my hands on a sailfish.

March 16, 2011, I decided to try again. I went to kayak fish at dawn straight out of the Palm Beach Inlet with a fresh box of frozen sardines. The wind was blowing well with a stiff 10-15mph northeast breeze. I made my way out 130 feet, set out two flat line sardines on triple J hooks and started drifting. Thirty minutes went by with nothing to show, but then it happened. In the distance, I see a sailfish jumping.

I quickly looked back at my lines and saw nothing was happening. Confused and disappointed I sat and waited. One minute later, I hear that fateful noise of my drag peeling. I grabbed the rod, slightly tightened up the drag and there she was in all her glory, breaking the surface. I steadied myself and prepared for the fight as she greyhounded into the distance.

To my rear, I hear people cheering me on from a boat. I had the biggest grin on my face, but all I could think about was to keep tight. Nearing the midpoint of the fight and taking 3 foot waves over the bow, I felt I had a good chance to land this fish. The last half of the fight was within 5-10 feet of my kayak. She kept swimming like she had energy for days. I finally made the decision to put on the pressure or I would never get her within reach. After thirty minutes, I got her to start circling and I finally attempted to grab her bill. Once I grabbed her, she gave a good little fight in my grasp and finally settled down in order for me to snap a few pictures. After examining this beautiful creature for a few minutes, I gave her a good revival and off to the deep blue fishing depths she swam.

July 3, 2017 Brian 0

Stuart Snook Kayak Fishing During the Summer Months

Summer time brings on the spawn for these fish. During this time Snook will move from the back waters and rivers to the inlets along the coast. Stuart Florida is one of the best places to go kayak fishing for one of the giant breeders that will spawn in the Saint Lucie Inlet.

Summer also means hot temperatures. Getting out early or late in the day will give you the best opportunity to hook into these fish. I generally like to start the day by throwing the cast net and catching a dozen or so 8-12 inch mullet in the bait tank. These mullet are for back up for the time 9 am hits and I want to make sure I am still going to get a bite. I love getting bit on artificial, so the first lure that is going to hit the water will be either a Super Spook or a large paddle tail swimbait. Some days the Snook want more of an erratic moving bait and other days a straight moving swimbait. Try both baits for a while and see what they are in the mood for.

Basic kayak fishing set up is a 7ft, 10-20lb spinning rod with a 5000 sized reel lined with 30 pound braid attached to 40lb Yozuri Fluorocarbon leader. This set up will give you enough backbone to pull fish out of structure, but at same time not wear you out casting all day.
My target location in Stuart is seawalls and docks in and around the inlet. These are easy ambush spots for Snook moving in and out of the inlet. When throwing your artificial lures get parallel to the seawall or dock making sure you get the lure as close to the structure as you can. If you are not having the luck with the lures bring out Mister Mullet. Pitch the live bait to the wall or dock and let him swim around freely. If he runs away from the structure, reel him up and get him close to it again. Repeat this process and by the end of the morning you should be hoisting a nice sized Snook.

June 22, 2017 Brian 0

Palm Beach Florida | The Best offshore kayak fishing trips tips

Offshore kayak fishing

The sport has become very popular in the last few years. You don’t need to rent to buy a boat yet you still get to go out to sea. Guys and gals are beefing up their inshore gear to battle the big pelagic fish that roam the blue waters of our coasts. Transferring from kayak fishing trips inshore to offshore may be challenging for some kayak anglers. Grass Flats, mangrove tree lines and channels drop off give an inshore fisherman a good place to start looking for fish. Offshore waters don’t always give up that information quite as easy.

The ocean is a big place, as a good friend once said five percent of the ocean will hold ninety-five percent of the fish. Off the coast of Palm Beach Florida the ocean current has to come into play in your plans. There could be no current to as fast as 5mph to the North or South. When setting up kayak fishing trips most of the time I will set up a drift plan to maximize time on the water. This takes a little bit of planning from choosing a launch and landing point, to deciding to drop a buddy’s car, call a cab or have someone pick you up. Once on the beach check out the current wind and water conditions. Is it clam, is it rough, are there a lot of weeds on the beach, is there bait close to shore, which way is the wind blowing? This information will help you decide what baits to use and at what depths to use them.

In general on a calm day, try to run your baits deeper in the water column. If you have some surface chop and see a lot of action on top, like bait jumping or pelagic fish breaking the water, look to run baits closer to the surface. Other things to look for are “rips”, color changes and weed lines. A rip is an area of current that will make the water look more turbulent than the surrounding areas. A defined color change will have strong current running along the edge of the change. Most of the time these color breaks will have debri and weeds mixed in, so they are fairly easy to spot. If you are lucky enough you may run into a weed line during your offshore kayak fishing adventure. Any type of weed line or scattered weeds is a good place to stop and put bait out.

In addition to being able to locate target areas visually, every offshore kayak fisherman should have a quality GPS and fish finder. Using a quality GPS system will give you detailed depth and contours of the ocean floor as well as give you the ability to locate natural reefs, artificial reefs and other fish holding structures.

If you are new to taking kayak fishing trips offshore or are thinking about trying it, this information should give you a good start on what to look for while out on the water. Good luck out there, be safe and have fun!

For more information or to book your trip call Brian at 772-201-5899 or fill the short form below:

May 31, 2017 Brian 0